A sapper from the Ministry of Internal Affairs collects unexploded ordnance in Hostomel, Ukraine, on April 18. (Ephraim Lukacki / AP)
A ceasefire in Ukraine is not on the horizon, but could come in the coming weeks, depending on how the war continues and negotiations continue, according to Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Coordinator.
“The ceasefire is not on the horizon at the moment, but it may be in a few weeks. They may be a little longer than that, “Griffiths told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Monday.
Griffiths said he plans to travel to Turkey later this week to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to determine ways the UN can help support peacekeeping and the Ukraine-Russia negotiation process. He added that he was “really impressed” by Turkey’s role in the conflict, calling the country an “important aspect” of the situation.
“We have to watch the negotiations very, very closely, hence the trip to Turkey this week,” Griffiths said.
Griffiths also said he hoped Turkey could host a “humanitarian contact group” through which humanitarian talks could be discussed. He said Ukrainian officials had already agreed and hoped Russian officials did.
Griffiths added that Ukrainian authorities had agreed to most UN proposals on humanitarian aid and a ceasefire, but Russia had not yet given such an answer.
“Obviously we have not yet implemented a humanitarian ceasefire. From the Russian side, I went into a lot of details about this and they kept promising to contact me with the details of these proposals, “Griffiths said. “In Ukraine, this was a very welcome meeting with their leadership. They agreed with most of the proposals we are making, we have not yet received the same response from the Russian Federation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has accused Griffiths of meeting with Ukrainian and Russian officials on March 28th over humanitarian ceasefire arrangements in Ukraine.
For this reason, Griffiths said he had recently met with the Ukrainian prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, the Ukrainian defense minister and the deputy foreign minister. Earlier, he said he met with Russian officials on April 4th.
The purpose of the discussions with both sides is to make sure that the authorities are aware of the UN’s humanitarian aid efforts and to discuss ways in which the UN can improve its humanitarian notification system, Griffiths said.
Griffiths said Ukrainian officials agreed with the idea of a joint humanitarian contact group and the idea of a local ceasefire to deliver humanitarian aid, but said the Russians “do not put local ceasefire at the top of their agenda. not yet”.
“On the humanitarian side, we need to have a much more willing reception, mostly from the Russian Federation, to allow convoys in and out,” Griffiths said.
Asked if he believed Russia would implement a permanent ceasefire in good faith, Griffiths said he would continue to try to facilitate and mediate one, despite no action by Russia at the moment.
“Hope is the mediator’s currency,” Griffiths said. “In every war I’ve had anything to do with, you always start with a lack of hope because it looks so horrible, the atrocities are so horrible… you keep doing it because, frankly, what’s the alternative? He added that “not to linger [negotiations]that would be irresponsible. “
Add Comment